William r



UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

\VILLIAM R. ZEIGLER, OF \VAVERLY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR OF ONE-HALF TO MILES S. I-IOADLEY, OF SAME PLACE.

CAR-BRAKE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 409,266, dated August 20, 1889.

Application filed May 11, 1889. Serial No. 310,467. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: upward by preference, and all the arms II are Belitknown that I, \VILLIAM R. ZEIGLER, reconnected together either by a bar I, pivoted siding at \Vaverly, in the county of Tioga and to all the arms, or by chains, or in other suit- State of New York, have'invented certain new able manner, a rigid connection being prefer- 5 5 and useful Improvements in Oar-Brakes, of "able.

which the following is a specification, refer- One of the rock-shafts F extends atone side ence being had therein to the accompanying of the car, as at E, and a lever M is firmly drawings. secured to the projecting end of this shaft.

This invention relates to brakes for rail- Lever M extends upward above the top of the 60 IO way-cars, and is specially applicable to handcar, and a ratchetplate N on the side of the brakes for freight-cars, although it may be car near the top serves to hold the lever in used on passenger or other cars. any set position. A bar 0 extends outside The object of the invention is to produce a lever M, and also extends above the top of the brake which can be applied by hand to all the car, serving as a guard to prevent the brake 65 wheels of a car, and in which the brake mechman from falling from the car.

anisms of the several Wheels are practically Supposingthe brake-shoestobealittle above independent, so that should the brake-shoe the top of the car-wheels and the cams G to be from any wheel be lost or broken 011 any numjust a little above or resting on the brakeber less than the whole number the remaining shoes, the operation of setting the brakes is 70 2c brakes will not be impeded in operation. as follows: The lever M is thrown by the In the drawings, Figure 1 is a side elevation brakeman in the direction of the arrow, and of a freight-car having brakes according to will be held by ratchet N in its forward posimy invention. Fig. 2 is aplan of truck, showtion. This rocks all the rook-shafts F by ing position of rock-shaft, cams, and brakemeans of the connections H I, and turns all 75 2 5 shoes. the cams G down onto their respective brake- A indicates a car-body, and B B the wheels, shoes O O, pressing the shoes down upon the connected to the car-trucks in usual manner, Wheels with great force. As the leverage by O O are brake-shoes supported over the tops means of lever M is great, the whole weight of the wheel-treads byleaf-springs D D, which of the car-body can be applied to the brakes, 8o

tend to lift the shoes clear of the wheels. The if necessary. This will seldom be found adsprings D are attached to the bolster or other visable, as the brakes can be applied with suffipart of the truck, so that the brake-shoes alcient force to control the car with a moderate ways maintain their position over the wheelpressure 011 the lever M. tread, no matter what the movement of the Should any cam or brake-shoe be lost or 85 truck may be. broken, the operation of the others is not at- Arock-shaft F extends across the car-frame fected, and should the connection I be broken above each pair of the brake-shoes, and parthe direct connection of lever H with one allel with the axles when the trucks are runrock-shaft at E still gives a powerful hold on ning straight. These rock-shafts are mounted a pair of wheels, which will generallybe suffio in suitable hearings in the frame. cient to hold the car.

Each rock-shaft F has a pair of cam-shaped There is a great advantage in having the arms or eccentrics G, one eccentric over each cams G hung on rock-shafts, instead of being brake-shoe. The eccentrics should be broad pivoted to theframe of the car, as this causes enough to extend over the brake-shoes, even the cams to move together, and also permits 5 if the car be running on a curve, so that the the engagement of the cams with the brakebrake-shoe be canted with relation to its cam shoe when the truck is on a curve Without G. The rock-shafts F are preferablypolygoexcessive width of camsurface. nal, save at the bearings, and the cams have WVhat I claim, and desire to secure by Letcorresponding holes to fit over the rock-shafts ters Patent, is-- 10c and are firmly keyed to said shafts. 1. A car-brake consisting, essentially, of a Each rock-shaft F has an arm H, extending pivoted truck having axles and wheels of usual character, and brake-shoes yieldingly supported on the truck above the car-wheels, a rock-shaft extending across the car-body above the shoes, cams on this rook-shaft in position to be rocked down upon the shoes however the truck may swing within its limit of movement, and a lever firmly connected to the rock-shaft, all combined substantially as described.

2. The combination, in a car-brake, of a brake-shoe yieldingly held above each wheel, a rock-shaft over each axle having a cam over each brake-shoe in position to rock onto the shoe, an arm on each rock-shaft and bars connecting all the arms, and a lever firmly connected to one of the rock-shafts at the side of the car and extending upward to a ratchet with which it may engage, all combined and relatively arranged substantially as described.

3. The combination, with a freight-car, of a rook-shaft extending across the carbody and bearing cams in position above the brake shoes, alever extending up at the side of the car and above the top, a ratchet at the top of the car to hold the lever, and a guard-bar outside the lever and above the car-top to protect the lever and the operator, all substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

WILLIAM R. ZEIGLER. Witnesses:

PHILIP F. LARNER, W. A. BARTLETT. 

